Tommy Emmanuel returns for two nights at Colonial Theatre

By
Rob Nagy, The Mercury

Thursday, June 20, 2013

Australia’s Tommy Emmanuel is one of the world’s most talented and charismatic guitarists. Showcasing his complex finger style of play while maximizing the percussive capabilities of the guitar, Emmanuel’s live performance is unmatched. While audiences around the globe line up to witness his artistry, Emmanuel continues to stretch the musical boundaries of his instrument.

“I’ve worked so hard and so long to build something great around the world,” says Emmanuel. “What I’m doing is what I dreamed I could do. I wanted to be a concert player. I wanted to work solo. I wanted my music to stand the test of time. I wanted to do it in my own way. That’s what I’m doing.

“When you play for people, it doesn’t matter where it is in the world. It’s the same kind of feeling that you’re putting something good into their lives. You are doing something better to make their lives better.

“By them having those two hours of bliss, being out of their minds, not thinking about anything else but being in that moment, it’s like the best job in the world, because in this moment people are not thinking about their problems, their trouble, the stress of life, they’re just having a good time.

“That’s the service I like to aim for, that’s kind of my mission. When I go onstage I’m going home. That’s where I belong.”

Emmanuel’s efforts have not gone unnoticed. In both 2008 and 2010 he was the recipient of Guitar Player Magazine’s Readers’ Poll “Best Acoustic Guitarist.” Also in 2010, he was recognized for his musical achievements by being appointed as a member of the Order of Australia.

“I remain a disciple of the guitar,” says Emmanuel. “I’m always in a position of wonder about the instrument and what I can do with it and constantly digging and looking for new things to do. It’s not really how well I play or if I play well or not; it’s really about what happens to people when I play. Whatever that is, it is the reason I’m here. We need that. We all need that.”

Having produced a rich body of musical works that include a variety of studio, live and instructional CDs and DVDs, Emmanuel is completing the production of his next solo release due in 2013.

“I’ve got a new ‘Live In Concert’ coming out,” says Emmanuel. “A new DVD and a new CD with a lot of my new songs that I haven’t actually recorded on a new studio album yet. I’ve finished those recordings and they are in the mixing process right now.”

The product of a musically gifted household, Emmanuel was a working professional musician by age 6 as a member of his family’s band. After selling the family home, the Emmanuels spent the next few years living out of station wagons while touring Australia before the New South Wales Department of Education ordered Emmanuel and his siblings to return to school.

Following the passing of his father in the mid ‘60s, Emmanuel, still in his teens, relocated to Sydney and earned national attention by winning a variety of talent contests. By the ‘70s he could be found performing in a variety of bands, doing album session work and commercial jingles. With the decade drawing to a close, Emmanuel released his debut album “From Out of Nowhere.”

By the early ‘80s, Emmanuel’s talents were enlisted by ‘70s rock group Dragon during its re-formation. Touring extensively, the band served as the opening act on Tina Turner’s 1987 concert tour. Emmanuel has since played with Eric Clapton, Les Paul, Chet Atkins, Air Supply and John Denver.

In 1997 Emmanuel entered the recording studio with longtime idol Chet Atkins to record the album “The Day Finger Pickers Took Over the World.” Atkins was later quoted saying This about Emmanuel: “He is one of the greatest guitar players I’ve ever seen.”

Emmanuel was an active participant at the 15th Annual Chet Atkins Appreciation Society Convention in 1999, where Atkins himself presented Emmanuel with a “Certified Guitar Player” Award in honor of Emmanuel’s contributions to the art of finger-picking. Since the passing of Atkins in 2001, Emmanuel continues to perform annually at the Chet Atkins Appreciation Society event in Nashville.

“I’m probably one of the most grateful people you’ll ever meet,” says Emmanuel. “Obviously, I’m doing something right as far as the universe is concerned. I don’t look at what money I make and think ‘wow this is the money I dreamed of making.

“What I make is a drop in the ocean compared to somebody like Elton John or Eric Clapton. For a guy that plays the guitar and plays these songs and gets around and tries to do something good, I’m well looked after and I’m really appreciating that.”